Anthony Petrello; Working for a Miracle

Anthony Petrello started out by getting his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School and a B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mathematics from Yale University. In 1979 to 1991, Petrello was with the law firm of Baker & McKenzie, serving as Managing Partner for its New York office from 1986 to 1991. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Nabors Industries, Inc., a holding company of Nabors Exchangeco (Canada) since October 28, 2011, and as its President since 1992. He also serves as a Director of Texas Children’s Hospital, Inc., for a very personal reason.

His daughter Carena was born at 24 weeks and weighing only 20 ounces. She was diagnosed with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), which is a common neurological disease in premature infants caused by a lack of oxygen or blood flow to the brain. Because of this, Carena had cerebral palsy and other developmental delay issues, and the Petrello’s are trying to find an answer to this. Anthony Petrello and his wife looked into several pediatric research institutions like John Hopkins, UCLA, and Hopkins. They realized that translational research on a large scale was needed to make a difference, as no one was doing it. Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, which is a part of Texas Children’s Hospital, does research on the brain for children which is something that is rare, as places that do the kind of research on the brain, do it for adults. Carena is a living miracle, and the Petrello’s are hopeful for the future.